For an overview of the workings of Parliament see:
How Canadians Govern Themselves
by Senator Eugene Forsey. 6th edition. 2005
Glossary of Parliamentary Procedure
The purpose of this glossary is to provide basic definitions of terms directly related to the context of the Canadian House of Commons
For help doing Parliamentary research see Canadian Parliamentary Publications: A Research Guide from the University of Toronto Libraries. Note that call numbers for print titles do not apply to UBC Library.
Parliament of Canada Virtual Library (Library of Parliament)
Especially useful for background information are Parliamentary Information and Research Service Publications which are brief, concise research papers prepared for MPs by the Library research specialists on a wide variety of topics.
The Parliament of Canada site offers a wealth of information about virtually everything you need to know about the workings of Parliament. Browse the comprehensive subject A-Z list.
You will find speeches, members' salaries and office and travel expenses, information on the Budget, links to provincial and territorial legislative assemblies, and a lot more!
Canadian Ministry (Cabinet)
Includes a list of current Cabinet ministers, and of Ministries (Cabinets) from 1867 to the present.
History of Departments 1867 to present
Provides a brief history of the evolution of departments, and a list of ministers.
For more detailed coverage see:
Library and Archives Canada. Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation July 1, 1867-February 1, 1982. Ottawa,1982. JL9 A3 1982, Koerner Library Reference.
The Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Toronto: 1862- . JL5.A4. Koerner Library Reference.
Earlier title was Canadian Parliamentary Companion. Notable for short biographies of MPs and Senators as well as members of all provincial and territorial legislatures. Includes historical election summaries and detailed results of the most recent election for each jurisdiction.
Members of the House of Commons
Browse by alphabet for a list of current MPs. Results give party affiliation, constituency, and date of last election. Biographical information is provided, and a list of women MPs is available. The historical component provides political affiliation and constituency of first election and election date. Similar information is available for Senators.
Members of the House of Commons: Inuit, Metis, First Nations (Current and Past)
Includes Senators. Federal political experience is outlined.
See also: The Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Toronto: 1862- . JL5.A4. Koerner Library Reference
Women in Cabinet
Includes ministry responsibilities and biographies. Historical section starts 1957.
Chamber Business refers to any business - questions, motions or bills - which is placed before the Senate or the House of Commons for consideration. This page gives brief descriptions of Debates and Debates Index, Journals and Journals Index, Order papers, Notice papers.
Bills
The full text of Bills is available starting with the 35th Parliament, 1st session (Jan 17, 1994- Feb. 5, 1996). The legislative process is explained in a fact sheet and also in the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure.
See also: Bills Introduced in the House of Commons and Amended by the Senate, 1960 to Date
LEGISinfo
An essential research tool for finding information on legislation currently before Parliament. This tool provides electronic access to a wide range of information about individual bills. You can search by title keyword or bill number. Coverage starts with the 37th Parliament, 2nd session (Sept. 30, 2002 -- Nov. 12, 2003). See FAQs for definitions and procedure.
Debates of the House of Commons
Debates are available from the 35th Parliament, 1st Session (Jan. 1994-Feb. 1996) to the present. Includes Index.
See also print volumes: Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Official report of Debates (Hansard). 1867- . J103.C1 Koerner gov pubs journals. Earlier volumes in Koerner Stacks Index volumes cease with 35th Parliament, 2nd session. Later indexes available online and on CD-ROM
Journals of the House of Commons
are available from the 35th Parliament, 1st Session (Jan. 1994-Feb. 1996) to the present. Includes Index.
See also print volumes: Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Journals. 1867- J103.C2 Latest in Koerner govpubs journals. Earlier volumes in Koerner Stacks and ASRS. Index volumes cease with 34th Parliament, 3rd session (1991-1993). Later indexes available online and on CD-ROM.
House of Common Committees: Practical Guide
See also our guide to earlier committee proceedings and reports in print and microform How to Find Canadian House of Commons Committee Publications.
House of Commons Committees
Coverage starts with the 35the Parliament 1st session (1994-Feb. 1996) to the present. To view Committee reports, select links as follows: Committee Business, Session, Committee Home, Committee List, Reports and Responses.
See also: Substantive Reports of Committees
Parliamentary committees produce "Substantive" reports on special or major topics. This compilation lists the substantive reports of the committees of the Senate and the House of Commons, and the interim and final reports from 1980 to the present.
Members of House Committees (Current Session)
From the Library of Parliament.
Debates of the Senate (Hansard)
Available from the 35the Parliament 1st session (1994-Feb. 1996) to the present.
Indexes to recent Debates, Journals and committee proceedings are available online.
See also print volumes: Canada. Parliament. Senate. Debates of the Senate: Official Report. 1871-. J103.S1.D
Latest in Koerner govpubs journals. Bound volumes in Koerner Stacks and ASRS
Canada. Parliament. Sessional Papers. [microfilm] 1868-1925. AW1.R-7338. Koerner Microforms. See our Survivors Guide to Sessional Papers of Canada (PDF).There is also an expanded web version.
Sessional Papers are reports tabled in the House of Commons and published as a set of volumes for each parliamentary session. The reports cover agriculture, banking, trade and commerce, Indian affairs, public lands, railways, and other matters of national concern.
Sessional Papers for 1860-1900 are also included in Early Canadiana Online.
Royal Commissions are official Government inquiries into matters of public concern. The Government tends to use Royal Commissions for two purposes: to obtain advice concerning an important general problem; or to investigate a specific incident. More recent Commissions are called "Commissions of Inquiry". See Commissions of Inquiry on the Canada Web site for selected current and past commission reports.
The Library owns print copies of selected Royal Commission reports. Do a keyword search such as Canada and "royal commission" or Canada and inquiry and a descriptive word from the title.
Henderson, George Fletcher. Federal Royal Commissions in Canada, 1867-1966: a Checklist. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1967. ZJL94.H45 1967. Koerner Reference
Accompanying title: Guide to Microform Edition of the Reports of the Royal Commissions of Canada 1867-1966: A Supplement to Henderson. ZJL94.H451 1977. Complete microfiche collection at AW5.C3525.
From Library and Archives Canada. This index provides author and keyword access to materials associated with more than 200 federal Royal Commissions that have taken place since Confederation. It does not include the reports themselves.
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